Sarit Hadad has become a star through perseverance and faith in her own music. 'I do what I feel like doing" (La'asot Ma Sheba Li) is not only the title of pop singer Sarit Hadad's latest disc; it is also the motto that she has followed since first deciding to become a singer at the tender age of eight.

Now 23, Hadad is the sweetheart of the Mizrahi music world. With eight albums already to her credit, she has performed in concerts all over the world, sung numerous duets with top singers, and continues to pack the country's concert halls night after night. And with her latest, La'asot Ma Sheba Li, her eighth CD, she shows no signs of slowing down. "I needed a lot of strength to get where I am today," states Hadad as she starts to explain how she had to fight the odds and her parents to pursue a career as a musician. Hadad first decided she wanted to be a singer when she was eight years old. Between the ages of 10 and 14, Hadad taught herself how to play various instruments (such as the drums, guitar, piano and darbukah) and even built a music room to practice in.

When she was 14, Hadad's parents allowed her to join the Hadera council singing troupe. She sung with the Hadera group until the age of 16 and then decided that she wanted to sing alone. Again Hadad did what she felt like doing. She began to entertain in nightclubs and beach-side cafes and was eventually spotted by a big-time Mizrahi music manager and producer.

Hadad's powerful voice and bubbly personality that have attracted the attention of a constant stream of top music writers such as Ehud Manor and David Zigman begging her to sing their songs. Even popular singer/songwriter Kobi Oz from the band Teapacks has written numerous songs for Hadad, and she has collaborated with the band on a number of tracks.